Fire Risk Prompts Red Flag Warning For Lake Elsinore And Wildomar

LAKE ELSINORE-WILDOMAR, CA — Black Friday arrived with thousands of residents SCE customers in Riverside County under a power shutoff and nearly 40,000 more facing possible shutoffs as a precaution against wildfires in the fueled by Santa Ana winds.

A red flag warning will remain in effect through Friday evening and Riverside County fire officials are urging residents to do their part to prevent brush fires.

"Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly," warned the National Weather Service. "Outdoor burning is not recommended."

Gusting Santa Ana winds and dangerously dry conditions have returned to the region, bringing gusts as high as 60 mph in the Cajon and San Gorgonio passes. The forecast calls for northeast to east winds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts reaching 40 to 50 mph. The red flag warning will be in effect until 6 p.m. Friday for Riverside County valleys and mountains and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning.

"Winds will continue to weaken through the day Friday, with winds returning to their usual diurnal pattern Saturday," according to the weather service.

Humidity levels, meanwhile, fell to about 5% Thursday.

In response to the high fire danger, Cal Fire "pre-positioned" four engine strike teams and four hand-crew strike teams across the region to more quickly respond if any wildfires erupt. Crews were positioned in Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser urged residents to take precautions during the wind event, particularly by avoiding cooking fires that could easily spread.

"Fire prevention begins at home," Weiser said in a statement. "During the Thanksgiving holidays, we want everyone to enjoy their time with family and friends safely and responsibly."

The winds are expected to diminish by the end of the weekend, along with a "gradual recovery in humidity," forecasters said.

As is typical during major wind events, Southern California Edison officials warned that the utility could impose Public Safety Power Shutoffs, cutting electricity in particularly wind-prone areas to reduce the risk of wildfires being sparked by wind-damaged electrified power lines.

As of 3 a.m. Friday, there were 20,924 SCE customers in Riverside County who were under a power shutoff and another 37,081who were under consideration for a shutoff.

Residents can go to SCE's website at www.sce.com/wildfire/psps to see if their area is under consideration for potential power cuts.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.